


This is Who We Are

by Genius_626



Series: Thespians [6]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Adulting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bittersweet, Family Drama, Family Reunions, Forgiveness, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, cute husbands being cute, the angst still lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-05 06:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11571894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genius_626/pseuds/Genius_626
Summary: It's been thirteen years since Gaston's parents turned their back on him, and much has changed.Last part of "Thespians" series.Edit: Fixed a giant continuity error, enjoy the consistant narative





	This is Who We Are

Gaston woke abruptly. His skin was damp with sweat, his head was swimming. Sitting up, he looked over to see his husband. Lefou was facing him on his side, eyes open and wide awake. 

“I woke you?” Gaston asked.

“I wanted to make sure you’d wake up Ok.” Lefou said, his voice gruff from sleep. 

Gaston didn’t reply. They’d been over this before, and there were viable reasons why both were concerned about each other.

Lefou sometimes stayed up watching Gaston struggle through his sleep, and there was no convincing Lefou to just ignore him or leave the room. Lefou wanted to make sure Gaston didn't hurt himself, but Gaston didn't want to hurt Lefou. Physical injury to either of them had never been the result of Gaston's night terrors, only migraines and sleepless nights, but they were both cautious nonetheless. This had been going on for so many years that it'd become somewhat of a routine. Gaston no longer felt like a burden to his husband, although he didn't at all enjoy the fact that Lefou was loosing sleep because of him, either.

Gaston got up and went to the bathroom. Turning on the light and heading for the sink, he turned on the faucet and washed his face with cold water. He heard Lefou get out of bed and walk out to the kitchen. He saw the light shining in from their bedroom doorway and heard the mugs being taken down from the cupboard.

They lived in a modest apartment, a short drive away from the city. It was a stark contrast to where they'd grown up, but Lefou found most of his work in the city, and Gaston had wanted to move somewhere far away from their hometown. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen. The walls were thin, so they could hear whenever their neighbors were having sex, although they were sure it was vice versa.

They'd moved in three years before, after Gaston had been honorably discharged from duty after ten years of active service. They'd moved halfway across the country from their hometown, for work, for a change, to finally start a new chapter in their lives together. It'd been hard at first for Gaston to adjust to a purely domestic life, for many reasons, but he and Lefou had worked things out together, and would continue to work things out.

Gaston stepped out of the bathroom and sauntered off into the kitchen where he found his husband making tea. It was something he did when Gaston was either sick or having nightmares. The tea was appreciated just as much as the caring gesture, although the tea itself rarely helped Gaston get back to sleep. He knew Lefou just wanted to help him, in any way he could, which was wha mattered.

Gaston stood very close behind Lefou and wrapped his arms around his husband’s belly. He breathed in and closed his eyes, concentrating on what was right in front of him to try and escape the nightmarish images in his mind.

“I love you.” Gaston said, his face buried in Lefou’s unkempt hair. “I love you…”

Lefou poured the tea, but didn’t make Gaston move away. He’d figured out that this was a mantra of sorts, so he let it go on as long as it had to. “I love you, too, baby.”

Gaston squeezed a little tighter and let go so that Lefou could turn around. He leaned down and kissed Lefou’s cheek before taking the steaming mug from him. They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes as Gaston drank his tea.

“I forgot to tell you.” Lefou said. “I have a gig next week. I’m going to be out of town shooting for a few days.”

Gaston’s eyebrow furrowed. “When did this happen?”

“My friend got me the part in his independent film. He didn’t even need me to audition. Part of its faith in me, and part of it’s because it’s so last minute. Go figure.”

Gaston nodded. “Then I'll be fine on my own. I can put in more hours at the shop. Come home to some peace and quiet, at long last.”

They both smiled at each other. Another few beats of silence passed. While Gaston drank his tea, he wanted nothing more then to stay up a little longer. He thought of something to talk about, anything. He looked up to the refrigerator and saw the pictures hanging there. Most of them were old pictures of themselves in high school, Lefou in college, Gaston in the army. There were more recent pictures of Belle and her small family. A few weeks back, they’d went to visit Belle and Adam, who had a baby girl now. Lefou had been so excited to meet her, and then something clicked for Gaston. He remembered the conversations they used to have when they were younger, naming their non-existent children and wondering if they’d be more into sports, or theatre, or maybe something else. Gaston had been thinking about this for weeks, but Lefou hadn’t said a word. He wondered why.

“Lefou…” Gaston said, placing his mug down on the counter and folding his arms in contemplation.

“Yes?” Lefou said.

“We’ve finally settled, haven’t we?”

“Settled…in this apartment?”

“In this apartment, in this city, in our jobs, in our marriage.”

“We’ve been married for seven years, Gaston, I sure hope we’ve settled.”

Gaston smirked. Lefou always made him laugh, even when he didn’t necessarily want to. “You know what I mean.I make enough money now that I can support us both well enough. You’re successful enough to be finding more acting jobs. We have a responsible savings account. I just…I know you’ve been waiting to ask me about adopting.”

Lefou finally understood where Gaston was getting at, looking both surprised and relieved. “Was I being obvious?”

“Well, you know how dense I am.” Gaston said. Lefou had been gushing over Belle’s daughter for weeks, and often found little things like baby t-shirts and toys to send to Belle. He even asks to see the baby when he Facetime’s with her.

“So, yes, you’ve been fairly obvious.” Gaston continued with a small smile. “All I’m saying is, I think we’re ready. I just don’t know why you haven’t said anything about it.”

Lefou put his mug down and cleared the space between them. He hugged Gaston, keeping him securely between himself and the counter. He felt Gaston’s arms snugly wrap around him.

“I honestly wasn’t sure if we were ready.” Lefou said. “But maybe no new parent is really, perfectly ready. It’s just a lot to think about.”

“Well, why not think back it together?” Gaston said.

“I’d like that.” Lefou said, leaning up and kissing Gaston’s square jaw, something that he knew would turn on his husband, at least a little.

Predictably, Gaston groaned appreciatively. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m awake now.” Lefou said. “And I know you don’t want to go back to bed just yet.”

“Can you read my mind?” Gaston gasped, feeling Lefou’s hands drag down his chest. Lefou slowly lowered himself to his knees.

“You know, I think I can.” Lefou said, before making sure that Gaston’s mind was taken away from anything other then this moment.

…

They both woke the next morning to a knock on the door. Lefou pried his eyes open and looked at the clock. It was only eight in the morning, just a half hour before he usually got up, and one hour before Gaston usually did. Lefou gingerly got out of bed, Gaston sleepily groaning and rolling over.

Lefou put on his robe and got to the door, looking through the keyhole and not recognizing the older woman just outside. He opened the door and was was suddenly struck by his memory.

“…Mrs. Devan?” He said, shocked. Saying her name took him back years. Back to a time when he felt comfortable going to Gaston’s house; to the summers when they would play in the river and go back home to play video games in the air conditioning. Back before Gaston’s parents knew that either of them were gay.

“Lefou, it’s been too long.” She said. She looked composed as ever, and a little relieved. She was older, of course, they all were, but she had been an older mother to begin with, having given birth to her only son at age 40.

Lefou stared at her in complete disbelief. After years of Gaston having given up on the hope of reconnecting with his mother, here she was, right at their door step.

“It…has been.” He said, looking down the hall, and then back at her. “You…I mean…are you here to see Gaston?”

She gave a knowing sigh. “I’ve probably waited too long with my son. But I hoped I wasn’t too late. Do you think I am?”

“I’m not sure. He’s…he’s still asleep at the moment.” Lefou couldn’t help but pity the woman, seeing the genuine look of remorse in her eyes. He decided to make an executive decision, and he hoped that it would pan out later. “Would you like to come in?”

…

Gaston was woken up by the sounds of his husband's voice saying his name. He opened his eyes to see Lefou kneeling over him, looking the way he did when he was hiding something, but didn’t want Gaston to worry.

“What happened?” Gaston said, still half asleep. Slowly sitting up, he remembered that someone had been at the door earlier. “Was someone here?”

“Yes. Still do. We have...a visitor.” Lefou said.

Gaston then noticed that Lefou was fully dressed. His breath smelled like coffee. He looked over at the clock at it was nine in the morning.

“Who on earth is here so early?” Gaston asked, getting to his feet and opening the closet to start getting dressed.

Lefou remained silent, sitting on the bed, trying to think of how to break the news to him.

“Well?” Gaston prodded, stripping out of his sweats and picking out fresh clothes.

Lefou got up and started for the door. “How about you shower, relax, and I’ll see you in a few minutes—“

“Lefou.” Gaston said, moving to block the door with his naked body. Lefou stopped. “Who is it?”

“...Your mother.” Lefou said plainly. “She asked Maurice where we lived, and she made the trip here all alone. All she wants is to speak with you.”

Gaston’s gaze didn’t leave Lefou’s for a long moment. He nodded slowly, his heart clenched. “Oh.”

“Yeah." Lefou said, watching as Gaston leaned heavily on the wall, looking like the breath had been knocked out of him.

"It's been...God, it's been thirteen years." Gaston said. “Thirteen years since I've spoken to her, seen her."

Lefou didn't reply, he just watched his husband stare into space for a long moment. It wasn't only going to be a bittersweet reunion, it was going to confusing, and awkward. Lefou knew exactly how much the issue of his parents had been eating away at the back of Gaston's mind for years. Yes, it'd lessened over time, but every so often, he'd remember the pain of it all. The rejection still haunted him, especially because he felt helpless to do anything about it.

"I've written her letters, e-mails, texts..." Gaston said. "And now she just...comes walking in. To our home. While I'm fucking asleep."

"Take a shower. Take your time.” Lefou said, pulling Gaston in the direction of the bathroom. “I can entertain her.”

“Baby.” Gaston said, getting Lefou’s full attention. “She really wants to see me?” There was a childish kind of innocence in his voice.

“Yeah.” Lefou said. “Are you going to be Ok?”

Gaston was quiet for a few seconds more. “…I don’t know. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

…

Lefou stepped back into the living room. He’d offered Mrs. Devan his comfy chair and made them coffee. She was still looking around the apartment when he got back.

“Gaston’s taking a shower.” Lefou said.

“This is a lovely photo.” She said, looking at the wedding picture hung on the wall. They’d been married after Gaston returned from his third deployment. They’d had a small wedding, by the river where they’d spent so many summers as children, fully dressed for the occasion. Somewhere in Lefou’s computer, he had a picture of them getting donuts in their tuxedos afterword.

“You…aren’t appalled by how…unabashedly gay it is?”

“Years ago, I might have been shocked.”

“How about just seven?” Lefou asked. “We did invite you to the wedding.”

“My husband forbid me from going. And I wasn’t strong enough to go on my own.” She sighed, frustrated even at the thought of her husband. “We’re separated now, working on the divorce.”

Lefou’s eyes widened in utter surprise. “Wow, that’s big.”

“Yes it is.”

...

A few more minutes passed of idle chat, when Gaston stepped out of his room. He locked eyes with his mother, and something in him stilled. Here was the woman he'd walked away from years ago, because she'd deemed him unworthy of her care. Or at least, that's how he'd interpreted it for some time after coming out. After she'd met with Maurice and sent him his things, the question of her love was always a mystery. He'd been worried for her, and wondered if they would ever speak again. 

This moment was surreal. It was stolen from his dreams. And yet it still hurt.

“Mom." He said, letting the word escape him. 

“Gaston.” She said, letting out a breath she'd been anxiously holding onto. Seeing him in person made her eyes water. “Look how you’ve grown.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty big.” Lefou said cheekily, earning a half-hearted glare from Gaston.

“I see you’ve reacquainted yourself with my charming husband.” Gaston said. He tried to say more, but there was so much in him, that he barely knew where to start. 

"I can't tell you how happy I am to know that you made the right choice." She said, stepping closer to Gaston. "Even though that meant leaving me behind."

"I didn't want to do that." Gaston said. "It was our wedding day when I decided to stop hoping that you or dad might come around. We went back home just to be closer to you, just in case you wanted to show up. I know that this situation is probably more complicated then I can tell on my end, but do you know how it feels on my end? To be left in the dark like this? I've spent years trying to get over it. Lefou can attest to how often it comes up for me, what's its done to me."

Gaston never once broke eye contact with his mother. He didn't enjoy the pain in her eyes, but he couldn't deny that it was gratifying to finally say all of this to her.

"I've spent years wanting to forgive you." He continued, his voice softer and slightly strained. 

"And can you forgive me?" She said. She was standing tall. "It's taken me too long to ask, but do you have it in you to forgive me for neglecting my only son?"

Gaston realized in that very moment just how different she looked and sounded. She looked more vibrant, more in control, older and wiser. And yet, there was something so familiar, something of a connection between them that might never go away. 

He stepped forward, glancing over at Lefou before saying anything else. "You accept us? Me and Lefou? Because this is who we are, and there's no changing it."

She nodded. "I may not have understood it before, and your father made it worse by convincing me how wrong I was to want to reach out to you. But now that I'm leaving him, I finally made myself come here. To face my fear, to admit to my mistakes."

Gaston saw that Lefou was in tears, while he wasn't too far himself. 

"Well. Lefou and I are thinking about having kids." Gaston said. "Looks like our family is expanding in more ways then one."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Slight epilogue: Gaston's mom moves to the city to be near them, and is especially helpful when they adopt their baby. 
> 
> And that's a wrap on this story. Although I'm sure it could keep going, I don't have any more ideas on me, and I'm not so good at writing little children so xP
> 
> Thanks for reading


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